Five for Friday

Where did June and July go (insert emoticons) ???? I am linking up with Doodle Bugs for 5 for Friday! Last week was my last week in Chicago so this post is dedicated to the awesome summer I had there, and there's some major news at the end!

I went to the Jayz and Beyonce “On The Run”
tour in Chicago last week and it was pretty amazing. I am a HUGE Beyonce fan
and missed out on her “Mrs. Carter World Tour” because I was working summer
school (as usual). After the tour ended my fiancé promised that we’d be at the
next Beyonce concert. Little did he know that she would make an announcement
that her and Jayz would be on tour at the same time we would be in Chicago!
#meanttobe. I have to commend my Jay for going because he is a Jazz musician so this
was somewhat out of pocket for him. We had a blast together though. He enjoyed (I think)
listening to me go word for word with all of Beyonce’s songs J.

I am (finally) on

Summer break!!!!! After a long summer in Chicago
Public Schools it's time for me to rest up! Yay!!!!! The only vacation trip we have planned is a quick one to Seattle for a wedding.
I've never been to Seattle and I am really looking forward to it. Hoping to get some fresh fish while I am there!

I have the pleasure of working for a nonprofit that trains
and places beginning teachers in urban and rural communities. It was REALLY
hard to step out of the classroom (temporarily) to take on this role, but I’ve
been able to connect with literally thousands of teachers from all over the
country and believe that I’ve grown so much as a leader, teacher, and person. After three amazing summers in Chicago I will be moving on to work with teachers in Atlanta. I am going to miss them all so much, but thanks to social media that they just a keystroke away!

I.LOVE.FOOD!!!!!! I had the
chance to go to Alinea in Chicago, which is one of the premier restaurants in the
WORLD. I was a little nervous because as much as I love food it is rare that I go
into a restaurant and order without adding my little flair to the menu (wink,
wink). This was not that type of restaurant. Everything from the entrance into
the restaurant, to the number of courses was different. They served 15 courses, which includes the chef
coming out and creating a unique dessert design for the final course.
Ironically we received the menu at the END of dinner. Ha! I actually enjoyed
not having to worry about the menu and each new course that came out was a
surprise because I didn’t know what was next. I would love to go back, but as a
food connoisseur there are other Michelin 3-Star restaurants around the world
that I would love to try. Jay and I did a little "Lady and the Tramp" at the restaurant. #livethedream

I NEED a

wedding planner. My fiance
popped the question one week ago and I was speechless! I had no
idea it was coming, which made it so special. Even more special was the fact
that he proposed with his great grandmother’s engagement ring, which is almost
100 years old. #classic As a lover of all things vintage I was so touched by the ring
and the proposal. My boyfriend fiance is my best friend so I am amazed that he was
able to keep a secret for so long. That
said, I am clueless when comes to what to do next. I know that I could probably Google it, but this is a situation where I would like to be able to talk to someone. I don’t think I am the “Bridezilla”
type, but I am very detailed oriented. If anyone knows of an affordable wedding
planner in Florida or has a list that every bride to be needs please send that
along!

What a BEAUTIFUL ring! I just got engaged too and was in complete shock. Brides.com and The Knot.com have been extremely helpful. They each have a "To-Do-List" that I have been following along with. I'm pretty sure I'm already a Bridezilla. Lol! AlisonRockin' and Lovin' Learnin'